Apparatus for feeding and metering pulverulent material



1929- E. G. BAILEY 6,

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND METERING PULVERULENT MATERIAL Original Filed April 22, 1925 QSheets-Sheet l & x 1

Nov. 19, 1929, E. G. BAILEY 1,736,243

APPARATUS,FOR FEEDING AND METERING PULVERULENT MATERIAL Original Filed p il 22. 1925 2 Sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 19, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT o F cE ERVIN' G. BAILEY, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR,

BY MESNE AssIGN- MENTS, IO FULLER LIE-HIGH COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE APPAEATUS FOR FEEDING AND METERING PULVERO'LENT MATERIAL Application filed April 22, 1925, Serial No. 25,150. Renewed April 5, 1929.

This inventionrelates to an apparatus for feeding pulverized material, and especially adapted for feeding pulverized coal into an air duct-by which the-air with the material in suspension therein is delivered directly to w a furnace 1n which it 1s used for fuel, or to a producer by which it is converted into a fuel gas.

In the useof pulverized coal as a fuel much difficulty has been encountered. because of the variat-ionof density of the pulverized mate rial coming to the current of air by which it is conveyed to the furnace, the material in the bin or receptacle from which it is taken having a tendency to become compacted and more or less lumpy, so that the rate by Weight of feed varies and the particles. are not all separated from one another when delivered to the air current, as they should be for most eflicient operation. v In accordancewith the-present invention .the pulverized material comingfrom the bin or receptacle is acted upon by'an agitator which breaks up the lumps, and then is further acted upon by a preparing appliance which causes the separation of any small lumps or aggregations of particles coming to it by the-action of air in such amanner that the particles remain separated and the voids become filled with air, so that the ma-. terial leaving this preparing appliance and being delivered therefrom by gravitation will settle and accumulate in a comparatively light flufl'y mass with' the .solid particles lightly contacting with one another, with a comparatively large and uniform distribution of air filled voids so that the particles do not adhere in groups or form lumps of a greater density than the desired or proper density for the accumulated mass.

In the continuing operation the material falling will accumulate or settle with substantially constant and uniform density so that measurement by bulk will afford a satisfactory indication of the actual amount (by weight) of solid material delivered. which can be varied as required by varying the bulk quantity rate of feed delivery.

The material thus prepared and brought by falling and settling to the desired substantial- 1y uniform density may be delivered, immed ately after ithas settled, by the feeding device proper which may be, and. as herein shown also is a measuring device, into aduct through which it is carried bya current of air to the desired final delivery point-for the powdered material.

By reason of the uniform fluffy condition of the pulverized material coming to the said feeding device the particles will be substan tially uniformly distributed in the air current, which should have suflicient velocity to prevent ,the settling: of the particles in the passagethrough the duct to the point of final delivery.

Fi 1 is a general view in elevation of a complete apparatus for delivering pulverized coal, with the particles suspended in an air current, to a furnace, said apparatus con-- taining the appliances for preparing and feedinzqthe pulverized material forming the subiect of this invention.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 as seen looking from the right with a portion broken away to show interior parts.

i Fig. 2 IS a vertical longitudinal section of the principal portion of the apparatus for preparing and feeding the pulverized material.

F 3 is a sectional plan view of the pre paring and feeding mechanism, the plane of section being indicated at X3 Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4'. 5, and 6, horizontal sectional views on lines X4, X5, X'-6-, of Fig. 2, respectively.

Referring to Fig.1, the bin, or reservoir, in which the pulverized material to be delivered is contained is shown at 2, being vertically over the preparing and feeding appliances, shown collectively at 13 in said figure, b which the pulverized material is fed into the duct, or pipe, 4, leading to the gasproducer or furnace, the current or blast of air by which the pulverized material is carried through the duct, &, being supplied from the duct 5, through which air is forced by a blower, 6, operatedi by a suitable motor, 7, there being preferably variable speed transmissions, 8,-

' delivery rate according to the requirements at the motor and feeding appliance by which these components of the apparatusmay be actuated at the proper speed to produce a fuel any time existing. .Referri ng now to Fig. 2, which shows the construction of the preparing and feeding I mechanism located below.the bin, 2, and receiving the puvlerized material therefrom by gravitation, said material passes down into connecting portion of chamber, 20, containmg an agitator, 21, and thence through the aerating mechanism and feeding mechanism proper, the detailed construction of which will .be hereinafter described. As shown in the present example the material is delivered by said feeding. device proper at 59, (see Fig. 2) intoa descending passage, 60, containing 'a bafile plate, 62, which tends to give the fallzo ing stream a rectangular shape in cross secity of the air current delivery point at which the mixture of air and pulverized fuel is utilized or consumed.

by an adjusting at top, and bottom but rotates.

, said casting by bolts,

' The said baflle plate 62,.is afiixed at it's upper edge, 61, to the wall of the duct and has sufficient flexibility to admit of adjustment bolt or link, 64, connected with its lower end and fastened at the desired adjustment by an external set screw, 65, so

that the effective sectional area of the nozzleat 63 may be varied when desired.

Referring now to the construction of the preparing or aerating appliance, best shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the active component of said aerating appliance, is a wheel, 30, having around its periphery blades on teeth, 31, forming spaces or pockets around the periphery between the blades, which pockets, so far as the wheel itself is concerned, would be open c osed or completed on the blades and portion between them and the in which the wheel all sides by the sides of of thevwheel periphery wall, 41, ofthechamber Cooperating with said wheel, 30, are two ,plates, 32 and 42, one above and the other below said wheel, theupper one lying in a rabbet, 33, in the top, 300, of the main casting-0f the feeding mechanism and beingvsecured to 34, as shown.

Said plate, 32, extends inward over the peripheral portion of the wheel, 30, above the pocket forming blades, and has a central opening into which thehub portion of the wheel, 30, extends as I shown at 35. making with the plate, 32, and the surrounding portion, 300,'of the main casting a flat floor over which the arms of the agitator, 21, travel through the bottom of the mass of coal coming from the reservoir, 2.

The upper plate, .32, has an aperture, 36,

\ through it of a width, measured radially,

about equal to the radial width of the wheel 'pockets and of a length circumferentially less than half way around the circle'by an amount equal to the length of one. pocket or somewhat more, so that while more buckets in the wheel are ered by the plate, 32, the others are uncovered at the opening, 36, and in open communication with the supply chamber 'above, as ap; pears in Fig. 2, so that the coal falls into'them by gravitation.

The lower plate,

at any moment cov- 42,'is shown asmade integral with the cylindrical wall, 41,'of. the.

chamber in which the wheel, 30, is contained andis secured between the upper plate, 32, and the wall, 57, of the chamber-in which the feed wheel proper, 50, to be describedlater, is contained. Said plate, 42, below thewheel, 30, is providedfiwith an aperture, 46, best shown in Fig. 5,,i-similar in shape to-the aperture, 36, in thei pper plate butlocat ed 'at the opposite side "of the axis of the wheel, thus being below-:thepockets which are fully covered by the upper plate and thereby cut ofi from communication with the supply reser- -voir above. The lower plate extends beneath and forms a bottom elosurefor the pockets which are at any time uncovered by the-upper plate .at the opening, 36, therethrough so that the material dropping in from above fallsnpon the bottom plate, 42,- and fills the pockets before they again p upper plate, which skims oflany surplus and leavesthe. pockets full when they arrive at the opening, 46, through the lower plate m their further rotary travel The forwarding action 0 the'material coming from t voir above will be readily understood, the pockets of the wheel filling fromthe reservoir above as they pass below the opening, 36, in the upper plate, and discharging-from .the bottom of eachas they pass over the the wheel upon than one half of the ass beneath the 3 opening, 46, in'the lower plate, there being the mechanical efiect of the agitator, 21 and l blades ofthe wheel, 30, in breaking up or real when falling out from a pocket through the opening, 46, of the lower plate, 42, will leave the pocket filled with air which will enter from below to the extent that the air was displaced by the aerated or loosely piled pulverized material while in the pocket. Consequently when the pocket passes'from beneath the plate, 32, and comes below the opening, 36, therethrough such air then trapped in the pocket, must be displaced by the pulverized material entering from above Withthe result that the air is blown into the said material with more or less eddying or churning effect as the pocket progressively emerges froni beneath the plate, and thoroughly loosens and separates the particles, so that they settle into the pocket in a light, aerated, flufl'y condition W115i each particle practically separated from all its neighbors by air, which thus thoroughly fills the voids between the particles when they'have settled or come to rest in a pile under the action of gravity.

This aeratingaction gives the material delivered from it a light, fluffy character as contrasted with the more dense and lumpy condition of the material compacted by gray-- ity in the bin from which it is taken and I have consequently\called the active component a fiutfing wheel and the upper and lower plates which cooperate therewith to effect the aeration and produce the flufiy condition, the upper and lower fiufiing plates. I

Therefis sufiicient time in each pocket from the point where it emerges from beneath the plate, 32, to the point where it begins to comeover the opening, 46, in the lower plate, 42, for the material to settle and fill the pocket with the comparatively light flufiy material, with a definite density which remains very nearly constant in the successive pockets as the operation goes on.

The light, flufi'y aerated material thus accumulates in each pocket of the'fiufling wheel and is delivered therefrom to the feed wheel proper, 50, which is similar in construction, and mode of operation to the fluifing wheel, 30.

Said feed wheel, 50, has peripheral blades,-

51, the spaces between which form pockets similar to those in the fiuffing wheel, and said feed wheel operates between the apertured the passage of assage; 60, through which the material falls y gravitation from the pockets into said delivery passage, asthe pockets successively pass over the port, 56, in the rotation of the wheel. Said port, 56, is made of somewhat irregular shape, as shown in Fig. 6, beingnarrow and located towards the outer periphery of the wheel at the point where the pockets first come over the port in the rotation of the wheel and gradually widening to the full width of the pockets, with the result that the contents of the pocket are gradually and uniformly discharged into the outlet passage instead of being dumped in a mass as the pocket passes over the port.

The unapertured part of the lower fiuffing plate, 42, lles over the portion of the periphcry of the feed wheel which is above the discharge port, 56, said plate thus closing the pockets at the top at the point where they are passing the discharge port, 56, and delivering the material from the pockets therethrough.

In the mechanical construction shown the bottom plate. 52, is made in an integral casting with the cylindrical portion, .57, which constitutes the peripheral wall of the chamher in which the feeding andmeasuring wheel, 50, operates. This casting forming the bottom and side wall of the chamber for the feedwheel, 50, is assembled with the casting containing the lower fluffing plate,

42, and side wall of the chamber for the Y flufiing wheel, 30, between the top plate, 32,

and a horizontal web, 302, (see Fig. 2).\in

the main casting of the preparing and feeding mechanism, the middle casting, 41, 4. being doweled to the lower casting, and the latter being secured to the web, 302, by bolts or capscrews as indicated at 58.

The sidewall portion of the chamber of the feed wheel is discontinued around the portion of the bot-tom plate occupied by the discharge port, 56, so that the material may flow outward from the peripheral side of "a pocket as well as downward through the bottom thereof.

The pocket-s of the 'flufiing wheel are of larger capacity than the pockets of .the feed .wheel, the fiu'fling wheel being of greater vertical thickness than the feed wheel, which insures the complete filling of the feed wheel pockets, while any surplus is skimmed offby the plate, 42, and carried forward by the fluffing wheel overthe plate, 42, and remains as a part of the next filling of the fluffing wheel pocket, l M

It will be apparent that the feed wheel,-50, has an aerating and flufiing efi'ect similar tothat of theflufiing wheel as above described. The pockets upon arriving at the aperture, 46, in the lower flutfing plate, 42, will be full of air which will be'displaced and pass up into the pocket of the flutfing wheel through the fine coal falling from the fluifing wheel into the feed wheel and will thus agitate the 1 material, which however-has time to settle in the pocket of the feed wheel before again 5 passing under the plate, 42, which will leave the feed wheel pocket even full of thematerial at the. proper density for correct quan .tity; delivery rate corresponding to and variable with the speed of rotation of the feed wheel. v Thus not only are uniform density and consequently correct'fmetering of the material assured, but also the ,material is delivered into the conveying air blast in proper condition to be uniformly distributed there- 1 in and toremain in suspension to the point of final delivery. The wheel ockets with the solid material re eatedly fiiling and emptying them in e ect act as a pump which forces air from the discharge point for the material up through the descending material into the massof material coming down from the reservoir and enters said material at the point where the agitator, 21, is Stirring through the material thus greatly enhancing the effect of said agitator in separating the particles, which action is completed by the air eddying through the material before it settles in thewheel pockets.

While it is immaterial, so far as the invention is concerned, whatmeans or mechanism -"-may be used-for actuating the various moving vparts hereinbefore described, the construction of' the actuating mechanism as herein shown is as follows:

j The flufiing wheel, 30, feed wheel, 50, and agitator, 21, are all actuated by a main vertical shaft, 70, havin connected thereto a 40 wormwheel, 71, meshing with and ada ted .,to be actuated by a worm, 72,.driven y a shaft, 73, (see Fig. 1.) at the desired speed, which may be varied automatically by any suitable regulating mechanism or otherwise accordin to the requirements, or rate of delivery o .the pulverized materialj desired.

Said worm gear and worm wheel are enclosed ina tight chamber, 74, in the main casting (see Fi 2 shown as having'a removable cover, %5, and may run in a bath of oil contained in the lower part of the said chamber and also serving to lubricate the bearings forthe lower portion. of the shaft, 70.

Above the driving gearin and oil reservoir the shaft, 70, extends t rough a bushing or ,bearing, 76, provided with suitable packing, 77, at its upper end below the feed wheel, 50, and bottom plate, 52, of the chamher in which it'operates, which protect the drivingmechanism from entrance of the ,powdered material. i

. 'The feed wheel, 50, i 70, and rests on the b0 tom plate, 52, while loose on the shaft,

. 5 the intermediate plate, that is, the lower flufiing plate, 42, rests upon said feed wheel, 50, and its chamber, 57, the hub portion of the wheel, 50, extending up through a central opening in said plate, 42, and together with this plate, 42, supporting the flufling wheel, 30, which is also loose on the shaft, 70.

The agitator, 21, has a hub portion, 22, with a base-flange, 23, also loose uponthe shaft, 70, and resting upon the hub of the fluifing wheel, 30.

The several hubs of the feed wheel, flufling wheel and agitator are interlocked for r0- tary movement by dowel pins, 24, as shown in Fig. 2, so that all of these components necessarily rotate in unison and the power is transmitted from the shaft, 7 0, by a hub, 25, pinned or keyed to the shaft and connected with the agitator, 21, bya' comparatively weak key or shear pin, 7 8,-which affords an adequately strong connection for drivingall of the parts under normal conditions, but would be sheared off and release the driving shaft without breaking any of the parts, in case a solid piece or other obstruction were caught by any of the moving parts, or in .case there should be any other accidental obstruction to the movement of the moving parts.

Suitable hand openings with removable coverplates are provided, as shown, Where v required to afford accessto the internal components to the apparatus.

The lower end of the feed wheel shaft, 70, is shown as connected by a shaft, 81, witli 'a counting mechanism, 82, (see Fig. 2) ofany 100 suitable or usual construction, so that the apparatus while serving to feed the material in proper condition to be thoroughly and uniformly distributed in the air current by which it is conveyed to the final delivery point, also serves as a meter for keeping account of the amount of ,material delivered.

The flufling. wheel, feed wheel, and plates between which they operate are the only parts subjected to appreciable wear, which may be more or less according to the character of the material in which they operate, and these parts may have to be renewed from time to time. F

The assemblage is such that the casting in 5 which they are contained can readily be disconnected and removed from beneath the casting, 20, below the reservoir hopper to afford access for renewal of the wheels or plates as may be required. In order that this may be done without having first to empty the reservoir, the intermediate chamber formed by the casting, 20,,is provided with a pair of gates, 12,-"(see Fig; 1*) which may be closed to prevent the escape of the coal when the preparing and feeding mechanism is disconnected and removed.

The said gates are each supported on a shaft, 13, piggtally mounted inthe casting and extending through the same and having at the outside a suitable head, 14, provided with wrench faces, or otherwise having provision for engagement by a wrench or lever by which it may be turned to bring the gate across the bottom outlet of the hopper, in

' and when open they aflord less obstruction to downward flow of the coal than gates having the usual central pivotal axis and there is no tendency for them to be partially or wholly closed by such irregularities of pressure, movement, or condition of the coal as might turn a centrally pivoted gate.

The mechanical operation of the apparatus is apparent from the foregoing description of the construction. I

\ 'Power being applied to the blower, 6, the current of air is forced through the pipes, 5, 4, issuing as a flat jet from the nozzle, 63, with a relatively high velocity and there encountering the particles of pulverized material falling from the preparing and feeding mechanism through the discharge passage, 60, and carrying the said particles suspended in a current of air through the delivery pipe,

. 4, with uniform distribution and velocity sufficient to prevent any settling of the particles to the bottom of the tube.

Power applied to the shaft; 73, causes vertical shaft, 70, to rotate at the desired speed and rotates'the several rotating elements supported on that shaft which act upon the mater'ial as it descends through or past them as has been described.

The agitator, 21, serves to break up lumps and eliminate any adhesion that may have come about in the mass in the reservoir and also acts to distribute the materialpver the floor of the reservoir including the plate, 32, in case the material failed at any moment to descend uniformly to said floor.

The relative arrangement of the fiuffing plates and flufling wheel cause the downward movement of material to be intermittent at this point, although taken as a whole there is a substantially constant inflow of material from above and outflow below the wheel.

The same is true of the action in the feed wheel proper which has a similar loosening and aerating effect to that of the fluffing wheel and plates, and in which the pocket travels a sufiicient time before entering the space below the lower flufling plate to become filled with the material at the density which it has when settling from a condition of suspension in the air.

The fluifing wheel and plates serve to prepare the material or bring the more or less compact and lumpy powdered materiaI to the" them from and a simliar apertured plate below said condition in which its particles areseparated and individually surrounded with air and in suitable condition to be carried in supension in an air current to the point of consumption.

Without such preliminary treatment it would be diflicult, orpractically impdssible, to regulate closely the rate of feed, but when thus aerated and then permittted to settle.

for a moment it acquires a mass of uniform density ca able of being measured. with a considerab e degree of accuracy and delivered at any desired rate within wide limits by a corresponding regulation of the speed and movement of the feed wheel;

In some cases, especially when operating at an exceptionally high rate of speed, the material settling into the pockets of the feed wheel might not have time fully to expel the air into the space from which the material is fallingso that the pockets of the feed wheel might not he filled completely,

which might cause inaccuracy in, or require correction of, the metering.

In order to prevent such action an air vent is provided as shown at 47 in Fig. 2, and in dotted lines in Fig. 5, which permits some of the airfto pass back into the delivery space 59 as the pockets emerge from beneath the plate 42 and the material begins to fall into b the pockets of the flufling wheel a ove. i

1. An apparatus for feeding pulveriied material, comprising a bin or reservior for the material to be fed; a preparing appliance located below the same, com'prismg a number ing the lower ends of said pockets where uncovered by the upper plate and leaving the lower ends uncovered where covered by the upper plate; means for producing a relative movement of said pockets and said cover plates whereby the pockets are alternately uncovered at top while covered below and uncovered below while covered at the top, and an air vent for said pockets in thelower side of said first named cover plate.

2. An apparatus for preparing and feeding pulverized fuel, comprising a reservoir for the material to be fed; combined with a preparing appliance below said reservoir, comprising a rotatory wheel having pockets around its periphery open at top and bottom; a stationary apertured plate above said wheel,

wheel, the apertures in said plates being located at opposite sides of the wheel axis, whereby in t e rotation of the wheel the pockets are'placed in communication with the reservoir above when they are closed beof pockets, and an apertured cover plate below, and are in communication with the space below, cut off from communication with the reservoir by the plate above, and an air vent for said pockets in the lower side of said first named cover plate. I 3. The combination with a supply bin for powdered material of a preparing appliance comprising a rotatory pocketed wheel and apertured plates above and below the same, alternately covering and uncovering the said pockets at top and bottom as the wheel rotates; and a pocketed discharge wheel below the lower of said plates, and a bottom plate below said discharge wheel constituting a closure for the bottoms of the pockets below the aperture of the plate above, said bottom plate having a delivery aperture located below the unapertured portion of the plate immediately above the discharge wheel.

a. An apparatus for feeding pulverized material, comprising a discharge, wheel rotatable in ahorizontal plane, having peripheral'blades forming pockets between them open at top and bottom, and bottom plate below said wheel which closes'the lower ends of said pockets, said closure having a discharge port longer than the peripheral length of one of the pockets and .narrower than the radial width of said pocketsnear one end and increasing to a width substantially equal to the radial width of the pockets at the other end, and an apertured plateabove said wheel covering the upper ends of said pockets where they are in communication with said discharge port.

5. The combination with a supply reser:

,voir for powdered material, of a preparing appliance comprising a rotatory pocketed fluffing wheel and apertured plates above and below the same; and-a delivery wheel below the lower of said plates, having similar pockets but of less capacity than those of the fluffmg wheel; and an apertured bottom plate below the delivery wheel, the apertures of saidplates beingalternately located at op-' posfte sides of the axis of the wheels; and a common driving shaft for both wheels, whereby they may be rotated in unison.

6. The combination with a supply bin for powdered material, of a preparing device composed of a rotatory fluffing wheel having pockets around its periphery open at top and bottom; and a similarly pocketed delivery wheel; and apertured plates, one above the fiufling wheel; one. between the wheels and one below the delivery wheel, the apertures thereof being alternately located at opposite sides of the axis of the wheels; a driving shaft common to both wheels; and an agitator also driven by said, shaft and located above the plate over the flufling wheel.

7. The combination with a supply bin for powdered material of a preparing device composed of a wheel having pockets around its periphery open at top and bottom; and a being alternately located at opposite sides of the axis of the wheels;a driving shaft com mon to both wheels, and an agitator also driven by said shaft and located above the plate over the preparing wheel; said wheels and agitator being loose upon said shaft, but engaged with one another for rotation in unison, and an easily breakable connection between said driving shaft'and the rotatory components mounted thereon of suflioient strength to drive the same under normal working conditions but adapted to break and permit the shaft to continue to rotateif the movement of the rotatory components thereon is abnormally obstructed.

8. The combination of a reservoir for pulverized material; a passage leading downward therefrom; and delivering appliances below said passage; with a pair of eccentrically pivoted gates in said passage, located near the-.sides thereof whereby the middle portion of the passage is wholly unobstructed when said gates are open.

- 9. An apparatus for feeding pulverized fuel comprising a rotary wheel having pockets around its periphery open at top and bottom, a stationary. plate below said wheel, a similar 'wheel-below'said plate, a similar plate below said second named wheel, said plates'being provided with openings out\o'f line with each. other, and a vent along the lower. surface of said second named plate for said second named wheel.

10. An apparatus for feeding pulverized material, comprising a-bin or reservoir for the material to be fed; a preparing appliance located below the same, comprising a number of pockets, andan apertured cover 1 plate betweensaid pockets and the supply reservoir, which covers a portion of the pockets and leaves the others in communication through the aperture with the reservoir, an agitator located in the lower portion of said bin in proximity to said cover plate, and a feeding device comprising a number of pockets located below said preparing appliance.

11 An apparatus for feeding pulverized material comprising a chamber for material to be fed having an outlet at the bottom, an

apertured plate at the end of said outlet,

an agitator rotatable along the upper surface of said plate in close proximity thereto, a rotatable member having peripheral pockets open at their tops and bottoms below said plate, an apertu'red plate below said rotatable member, the apertures in said last named plate being displaced circumferentially with respect to the apertures in said first named plate.

12. An apparatus for feeding pulverized material comprising a chamber for material to be fed having an outlet at the bottom,an apertured plate at the end of said outlet, an agitator rotatable along the upper surface of said plate and having an arm With a flat lower surface in close proximity thereto, a rotatable member having peripheral pockets open at their tops and bottoms below said plate, an apertured plate below said rotatable member, the apertures in said last named plate being displaced circumferentially with respect to the apertures in said first named plate.

ERVIN G. BAILEY. 

